The damage to the building appeared to be relatively minor. Chris Whiteoak / The National
The damage to the building appeared to be relatively minor. Chris Whiteoak / The National
The damage to the building appeared to be relatively minor. Chris Whiteoak / The National
The damage to the building appeared to be relatively minor. Chris Whiteoak / The National

UAE

Dubai's landmark Sheikh Rashid Building damaged in fire

Residents escaped the 15-storey residence with no reports of injuries

The National

September 16, 2019

  • English
  • Arabic

A long-standing residential building on Sheikh Zayed Road was damaged on Monday when a fire broke out.

The blaze in one apartment appeared to spread to several on the upper floors of Sheikh Rashid Building shortly after 9am.

The structure is close to the Sheikh Zayed Road interchange leading to Dubai Mall and Jumeirah, often known as Defence Roundabout.

Fire crews brought the blaze under control in less than 30 minutes.

The building only suffered minor damage. Chris Whiteoak / The National
The building only suffered minor damage. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Residents were allowed back inside by early afternoon. Investigators are probing the cause of the blaze.

Local media quoted residents as saying an electrical fault in an air conditioning unit was suspected.

The building is a 1970s-style residence with external AC units on many of the balconies.

Sheikh Rashid Building dates back to before the steel and glass skyscrapers of Sheikh Zayed Road and Downtown Dubai were constructed.

It is located close to the Toyota Building - formally named the Nasser Rashid Lootah building - which lost its famous sign when a long-running advertisement deal was ended last year.

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